PITTSFIELD — Protesters gathered Friday outside Cianbro headquarters displaying signs protesting the proposed toll highway that would cut a 220-mile path across Maine from Calais to Coburn Gore.

While the exact route of the road proposed by Cianbro President and CEO Peter Vigue hasn’t been determined, it would go through central Maine towns that likely include Dover-Foxcroft, where many of the protesters were from.

Additional Images

Members of Friends of Piscataquis Valley demonstrate Friday outside the offices of Cianbro Corp. in Pittsfield to protest a proposed East-West Corridor. Cianbro President Peter Vigue has developed a plan for the toll highway connecting Maine to Canada. Protesters say the highway will likely cut through Maine towns, likely including Dover Foxcroft, and destroy the natural beauty of the state. Staff photo by Doug Harlow

Sidney Mitchell of Dover Foxcroft demonstrates Friday outside Cianbro headquarters in Pittsfield. Mitchell is part of a group that opposes a proposed toll highway from Maine to Canada. Staff photo by Doug Harlow

The $2 billion six-lane privately owned road would connect Quebec and New Brunswick, and supporters, including Vigue, say it would boost the economy of the state. Truck traffic between Quebec and the Maritimes now either has to travel on interstates or travel circuitous routes on two-lane U.S. Route 201 or Route 27.

Demonstrators say the highway would destroy the scenic and rural nature of Maine, without economic benefit to all but a handful of people.

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